Kendrick Farris is an Olympic weightlifter and a vegan.

(as of November 2014).

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Farris began lifting when he was 11-12 years old after his uncle, Kevin Burns, read an article in the newspaper about a weightlifting development center for young athletes.

^{[0] [2]}By 16 years old, Farris had given up on football and basketball to focus exclusively on his lifts.

When he was 18, working in a restaurant during the 2004 Athens Games, one of his co-workers asked him, Isn't this what you do?" Farris says it was a sign that he should take up the sport professionally.

He won back-to-back National titles in 2006 and 2007 en route to qualifying for his first Olympic Team.

Career

He also competed for the United States in the 85 kg weight class at the 2008 Summer Olympics where he placed 8th and set two American records in Beijing:.

Kendrick also participated in the 2012 Summer Olympics in London where he placed 10th.

He was the Silver Medalist at the 2013 Summer Universiade and the Pan-American Champion in 2010.

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He was the only male weightlifter to represent the United States as a competitor in the 2016 Summer Olympics.

During the Olympic trials, Farris broke the U.S. record by lifting 800 pounds.

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Farris's coach is Kyle Pierce.

Personal Life

Farris attended Louisiana State University in Shreveport, where he received a degree in Communications.

^[2]He is a Christian.

He is married to his wife Katrina and has two sons, Khalil and Kingsley.

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